


The Familiar's Choice (FrostIron edition)

by MonPetitTresor



Series: Tumblr Prompts and Potential Future AU's [6]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Bonding, Familiars, Frostiron rewrite, Inspired by my own fic, Loki Wasn't The Bad Guy, Loki has a heart, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Well - Freeform, Witches, fic request, mostly - Freeform, tony is a familiar
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-09
Updated: 2019-04-10
Packaged: 2019-06-07 15:29:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,069
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15222194
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MonPetitTresor/pseuds/MonPetitTresor
Summary: Per a tumblr request, a Frostiron rewrite of my Supernatural Story "The Familiar's Choice"To most of the world, the Stark name was known for its genius. For the inventions that they came out with, lightyears ahead of the rest of the world, and the sheer genius that showed through. Howard Stark had been a brilliant man, and his son seemed to keep working to outshine him with each new invention released to the market.To the rest of the world, a part of the world that so few even knew existed, the Stark name was known for so much more. They were known for breeding some of the strongest Familiars to ever bond with a witch.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A special thanks to Tripsi and Talky for helping me work my way through some of this today. You guys are amazing :D

Growing up as someone famous, your name known by the world before you even have the ability to crawl, it changes the way a person views things. Life in the spotlight was the only life that Tony Stark had ever known. It was a part of him, a part of who he was, and he never knew any different. Growing up, Tony was always aware that there weren’t many people on the planet that didn’t somehow recognize the name of Stark. Very rarely was he ever able to find a place where someone didn’t know who he was – often just by a glimpse of his face. It was the lot he’d been born into, and one that he’d learned how to accept.

To most of the world, the Stark name was known for its genius. For the inventions that they came out with, lightyears ahead of the rest of the world, and the sheer brilliance that showed through. Howard Stark had been a brilliant man, and his son seemed to keep working to outshine him with each new invention released to the market.

To the rest of the world, a part of the world that so few even knew existed, the Stark name was known for so much more. They were known for breeding some of the strongest Familiars to ever bond with a witch.

Not every Stark was born a familiar. Howard wasn’t one. But the ones that were born to their family were always strong – far stronger than any others out there.

Howard hadn’t been prepared for what it would mean to have a familiar for a child. When Tony had shifted form in the hospital just an hour after he was born, Maria had been terrified, and Howard had known the old stories were coming back to haunt him.

Witches had become far less common since the Purge back in the time that so few liked to speak of. Their own holocaust, as it were. During what most humans called the Witch Trials when hunters burned a swath through Salem and then spread out from there, witches had been hunted down and almost eliminated. To the point that they were considered a myth anymore. People didn’t believe witches were _real_. They were stories told to children. Often with the witch being the evil one that the hero had to fight against.

Thanks to Jarvis, the only one in the household with any real knowledge, Tony Stark grew up knowing a far different truth. He learned about what witches could really be like, both good and evil, and what a Familiar’s role was.

Familiars were made to bond themselves to a witch. Unlike what the stories liked to say, witches didn’t _create_ their Familiars. A Familiar was born, and they were the ones to find their witch. They were the ones to sense which witch was theirs, and to reach out to them. “That first contact, when a Familiar reaches out and touches their witches magic, that’s when a witch knows,” Jarvis had told young Tony, smiling at the boy’s wide-eyed excitement. “The witch can choose to accept it, or reject it. There’s only been a few instances of rejection, though. Most are thrilled at being Chosen. Not every witch is worthy of a Familiar, you see. It’s an extraordinary thing.”

Jarvis was the one to teach Tony about his powers – about how he could shift to animal forms, how to use and block his low-level empathy. He was the one to teach Tony that it was okay to want to be in his animal form. Or, more accurately, _forms_. Because Tony was able to shift into multiple animals. There didn’t actually seem to be a restriction on it, That was something that Jarvis warned him to keep quiet when it came to the magical community. “Most Familiars have one, maybe two animal forms. There’s a record of one who had three. But that’s it. The more forms, the more powerful a Familiar is, which in turn means the more powerful their witch is going to be.”

Tony’s witch was going to be powerful indeed if that were true! The thought was thrilling to Tony. He grew up imagining what his witch might be like. Just how powerful they’d be, how much they’d love him, and how they’d protect and care for him the way that Jarvis said real witches cared for their bonded. Unlike some of the other unbonded-Familiars Tony met, he was _eager_ to bond to a witch.

Most modern Familiars weren’t bonded. They grew up knowing there were few witches, believing that the world wasn’t made for magic anymore. They didn’t want to be bonded, forced to be tied to someone that they’d then be stuck with the rest of their lives. Some even grew up, married, and never found their witch.

The idea of that made Tony want to throw up. He couldn’t imagine never finding his witch. Or not wanting to find them.

Even as Tony grew, as he made his way through MIT, through the company, through the loss of his parents and – later on – the betrayal of his last parental figure, Tony held on to that hope. It was what got him through the death of his parents, and of Jarvis. It was what helped him hold in inside a dark cave in Afghanistan when his body was too weak from the drugs and the spells on the walls to be able to even think of shifting to fight back. The Ten Rings had known what Tony was, and they’d made sure to have ways to contain him.

Through that, Tony had held on to the hope that one day he would still find his witch. That, whoever they were, they’d actually want him after all this. Broken, scarred, and so damaged. But Jarvis had said a witch and Familiar were made for one another. Tony hoped that was true. He hoped he found his witch, and that they’d want him just as much as Jarvis had always said they would.

The Ten Rings were the only ones that Tony knew of to ever _figure out_ what he was. There were others, though, that were told.

Jim was one of those. How could he not be? Tony lived with him, loved him like a brother, and trusted him at a time in his life when he hadn’t been able to trust anyone. Jim was the first person outside of the family – and Jarvis counted as family – that Tony told about himself. The one that he actually made a choice to tell.

Howard had apparently told Aunt Peggy, and he’d told SHIELD. SHIELD knowing meant, of course, that Natasha knew. She surprisingly hadn’t used that when she’d gone undercover in his company, though. If she had, if she’d known a bit more about Familiars, she might’ve realized sooner that there was something wrong with Tony.

However, no one else knew. Not even Pepper. It was Tony’s secret. One that he kept close to his heart, always watching, always waiting for the day when he’d finally get that sense of the one that was meant to be his. So far, he’d always been able to recognize who was a witch, he’d just never found _his_.

He should’ve known it wasn’t going to be that easy.

* * *

Meeting the Avengers was the start of a lot of changes in Tony’s life. It was the first time since he’d met Jim that Tony found himself tempted to _tell_ people. Honestly, he was surprised that SHIELD _hadn’t_. Or that Natasha hadn’t. But as time went on, and each member of the Avengers slowly moved into the tower, Tony was continuously surprised to see that no one seemed to know. Or if they did, they were keeping it as quiet as possible. So quiet they gave off no signs of it at all.

There was only once that Tony and Natasha even spoke about it. It was about a month after she and Clint moved in, and Natasha came in one morning to find Tony making himself a coffee and twitching a little after a long, rough night.

Tony barely paid her any attention as she came and sat at the island bar to watch him. He just went through the motions of prepping his cup and trying to get the crawling feeling off of his skin. It wasn’t one he was unfamiliar with. That didn’t make it any easier to cope with, though. Especially not when he knew how simple the remedy was.

To his surprise, it seemed like Natasha knew, too. She waited until he had his coffee poured and the mug cradled in his still twitchy hands. Then she looked up and caught his eye, her own expression serious. “You need to shift.”

Licking his lips, Tony debated arguing, debated blowing it off like it was nothing. Then, though he didn’t know why, he found himself shrugging and saying a simple “Yep.” Familiars _needed_ to shift. It was another of the reasons that Tony had told Jim what he was. If Tony didn’t shift for a bit each day, it got really uncomfortable really fast.

“Why haven’t you?”

This time Tony’s shrug was more of a twitch. “Too many people with boundary issues.” That was the most straightforward way of putting it. Steve often barged into a room and got a little weird if he felt like he was being locked out. Thor seemed to have no concept of personal space or forbidden areas. Plus, well, he had just enough magic to him to faintly tingle over Tony’s senses, and that felt pretty damn amazing, so Tony made a point of avoiding him anyways when he got like this.

Clint had a love affair with the tower’s vents, and Tony was totally fine with that, except for how Clint was utterly unashamed of using them to spy on and prank his teammates.

The only person who really respected personal boundaries was Bruce. Which made sense, as he was the one of them that probably had the most personal boundaries. He showed people the respect he wanted them to show him.

Natasha nodded her understanding. Folding her arms, she rested them on the countertop, and her expression turned a bit contemplative. There wasn’t much to give it away; a slight press to her lips, a faint draw down to her brows. Tony was just starting to learn how to read her. “Leave the others to me,” she finally said. “I can keep them away from where you go.” Her features smoothed out into the calm, confident one that she took during missions. The one that was vaguely terrifying and yet had her earning Tony’s respect a bit despite some of his lingering animosity to her.

That – that sounded heavenly. To have someone like Natasha that he might not always trust with information and such, but that he definitely trusted to watch his back, that would take away a major amount of the stress Tony was feeling.

His gratitude was clear enough on his face that Natasha smiled at him. A small one, but a smile. “I’ll let JARVIS know every day when I can get the others distracted. I might not be able to give you long, but I can give you something every day.”

“You’re being awfully nice,” Tony said, just a hint suspicious. It wasn’t that he didn’t approve of this idea. It was just that… he wasn’t sure why she was doing it.

One corner of her mouth tilted up while the rest of it, strangely enough, seemed to be frowning. There was a shadow in her eyes that had Tony sitting up and paying attention. Almost as much as the faint edge of _guilt_ that was around her. Usually Tony tried not to read people – and Natasha was harder to read than most – but she wasn’t keeping up her usual shields at the moment, and he was tired.

There was no chance for Tony to try and figure out what the hell to say. He was mentally scrambling for some words, something to do, something to say, when she spoke.

“It would seem a lot of SHIELD’s information on Familiars isn’t accurate.” She looked down and away in a tell that made it clear just how little she liked admitting that SHIELD had something wrong. “After the last time, we did some research. Coulson spearheaded it. He didn’t like who wrong everything went, and a lot of that stemmed from the information we had.”

Ahh. That would explain some things. “Howard didn’t tell you guys everything, or tell it right. Surprise, surprise.” The man had barely known about Familiars but for little legends, and he hadn’t been willing to learn from Jarvis. No, he’d wanted nothing to do with Tony’s _condition_ , except to make sure it was mostly hidden.

“Hopefully, we have the right information now.”

It was something that Tony had JARVIS go over for him later. Hacking into SHIELD wasn’t difficult for JARVIS to do. He took care of it while Tony curled up in ferret form on the table top in his lab. It was a comfortable form, and small enough to be able to easily hide should someone manage to get past Natasha.

What JARVIS found was mostly correct, and what wasn’t, well, they were things Tony was comfortable enough allowing JARVIS to fix. Nothing in there was bad. They had nothing listed on how to take down a Familiar or anything like that, so Tony was content to let them keep what information they’d gained.

* * *

The new arrangement worked out pretty damn well for Tony. As one month grew into two, and two into four, the Avengers got closer and closer. Not just as a team, but as friends.

Naturally, that was when everything changed.

* * *

It all started with Thor coming back, and it ended with one giant mess that not even Tony could’ve predicted happening.

Tony was in his lab when he felt the faint prickling of magic nearby. He’d gotten better about sensing some casual energies recently – the Invasion and a certain crazy bag of cats had inspired that – but this wasn’t the subtle sense that little magic made. This was great big, ripping its way through the sky and coming down right on top of the Avengers Tower. The feel of it was so strong Tony actually stumbled a little when it hit him.

“Sir?” JARVIS”s panicked voice was barely audible over the sound of Tony’s heart pounding in his ears and the electric buzz of magic against his skin.

Tony’s hands gripped the edge of the table, his brain already whirring even as his body was aching. _Magic. Someone’s outside with magic_. “J, magic sensors up and running. What the hell just hit our tower? Get me every camera angle possible, and let the others know…”

“Sir!” JARVIS cut in. He didn’t bother waiting to see if Tony would stop; instead, he quickly spoke over him. “Bifrost energy active on the roof. Prince Thor has returned from Asgard… and it appears he has brought a guest.”

 _Oh, thank God_. Tony would’ve slumped down in relief if he hadn’t still been buzzing. It was just the Bifrost! Just _Thor_. Maybe that was why Tony felt kind of electric at the moment. Like there was a current running through him and over his skin. Only… he hadn’t reacted that way to Thor the last time they’d been around one another. Why was he reacting like this now? Part of Tony was perking up at attention and his extra sensing were buzzing even more.

Tony didn’t really hear whatever JARVIS was saying to him. There was no way he could have, not with the way his heart began to echo louder and louder in his ears. No, not _his_ heart. Another one. He was hearing the heartbeat of someone else.

Without even realizing it, Tony began to move, slowly making his way towards the elevator. He was inside the elevator and on his way up before JARVIS’s voice finally broke through again. “Sir, Sir!”

Tony had enough presence of mind to croak out “ _Mute._ ” Then he was caught up once more in the heartbeat that was getting closer. The electricity on his skin was crackling more and more, raising up the short hairs, and in response, the more animal part of Tony was practically quivering. What was going on? _What was this_?

It only got worse when the elevator doors opened on the common floor. A cacophony of sound flooded Tony’s ears. Yet, the heartbeat grew louder, too, and Tony followed it. He didn’t know why he just knew that he needed to. That he _had to_. He followed the sound out of the elevator on legs that didn’t quite want to seem to hold him.

Magic swelled up in the air – stronger than he’d ever felt it before. It was all around him. Tony felt like he was breathing it in, and it was the first full, clean breath he’d taken since before Afghanistan. The magic filled his lungs and chased away the ache there. It went further in, wrapping around his heart, at the same time that it was caressing against his skin. It was as if the magic were greeting him, holding him close and saying _Yes, you – you’re mine._

“Yours,” Tony breathed out. His own magic – the magic of the bond – grew inside of him, and Tony didn’t fight it. All the stories that Jarvis had told him as a child, all the tales he’d heard from other Familiars, it all paled in comparison to this moment right here. The moment when Tony looked across the room, past all his friends, and met eyes with the very last being he’d expected, and yet, the only one it could’ve possibly been. A raspy laugh tore itself free from Tony. Of course. _Of course._

Loki met Tony’s stare with wide, bright green eyes.

The last time they’d met, the emotions that Tony had picked up off of Loki had been enough to make him want to stay far, far away from him, and had him feeling like he’d throw up when he got too close. Not to mention the guy had felt like a witch, but _not_ , and it’d been a confusing dichotomy. Tony had wanted to both wrap the guy up and, at the same time, send him far, far away. Tony had been more than happy to see the back of him. He hadn’t even gone with the others to see the Asgardians off when they went back home.

Now, there was none of that filth to Loki’s magical signature. It was pure and beautiful and everything that Tony had been looking for his entire life.

The others in the room might as well have not been there as Tony took his first stumbling step towards the witch he knew was meant to be his. At least, not until there was a slight _twang_ and then an arrow was flying through the air, right past Thor’s shoulder and towards Loki’s head, and Tony couldn’t keep the cry from ripping past his lips.

Every head had turned his way now. They all saw as Tony stumbled, and as Loki vanished from Thor’s side in just enough time to avoid being hit. Not even a full second later he appeared in front of Tony, hands out to catch him before he could fall.

The touch of skin against skin was like a jolt straight down Tony’s spine.

His mouth fell open on a shaky breath. Tony had to lean his weight into Loki and trust that the witch would hold him up. _His witch_. He was trusting _Loki_. It was both insane and right all at the same time. “Of-fucking-course it’s you,” Tony rasped out, a hint of a laugh at the edge of his words. He clasped his hands tightly to Loki’s biceps and leaned in a little more. “All the witches out there and I have to have the alien one that tried to take over the world.”

Loki’s hands drew Tony in even closer, one slipping down so that he could wrap his arm around Tony and bring him in even closer. The green of his eyes was glowing with the magic that was still wrapping itself around Tony even more firmly than Loki’s body was. “Mage,” the god croaked out. “I am a mage.”

“Sure thing, buttercup.”

Off in the background came the sound of voices. Ones that Tony knew he knew, and that he should probably pay attention to.

Even as he tried, he heard Thor’s big, booming voice break through the noise, loudly declaring “My brother means no harm!” followed by another quieter voice, yet much more deadly.

Natasha.

“Leave them alone,” she told the room. “You can’t interrupt them right now.”

Oh, good, Natasha was here. She knew about Tony, and she was keeping them back. Tony could trust her to do that. They’d bonded a little over this shared secret, and Tony had a feeling that was going to buy him a little time. Not a ton, but hopefully _enough_. To do what, Tony wasn’t sure. He just knew that he needed to be here right now, wrapped up in Loki and in magic, and he wasn’t going to let anyone get in the way of that.

Blinking open eyes he hadn’t even realized he’d closed, Tony found Loki still right there, still staring down at him, and Tony wanted to preen a little at the awe he saw there. A smile curved Tony’s lips. No matter what the little voice in the back of his head was saying, his instincts were so much louder. They were telling him that this witch – _mage_ – right here was _his_. Nothing else mattered.

This time, when Tony leaned in, he let his own magic lean in with him. Familiars couldn’t perform magic the way a witch could, but they could hold it, could strengthen their witch’s power, and to do that, they had to have a spark of it. That spark was what allowed them to reach out for the bond. When a witch accepts, Jarvis had told Tony that their own magic would take that spark and match it up with theirs, blending the two until they were one, until the magic inside Tony _was_ Loki.

By reaching out, Tony was offering himself up to Loki, showing his willingness to guard and support him, to always be at his side and have his back.

Loki made a low sound in his throat full of pain and pleading. Yet… he didn’t reach back. “You do not know what you choose.” His voice was low, hoarse, and full of pain.

That pain had Tony aching to soothe him. He could _feel_ it all through his mage, and it felt so wrong. So terribly wrong. His hands moved on their own and came up to cup Loki’s face. The mage shuddered under the touch, yet didn’t stop him. He allowed Tony to hold him, and to pull him down until their foreheads were pressing together. “I’m choosing you, you idiot,” Tony mumbled. “We’ll figure the rest of it out. I’ve been waiting for you my whole fucking life, and if you think I’m gonna just let you go, you’ve got another thing coming.”

“I’m a selfish, greedy creature, Anthony Stark,” Loki warned him lowly. His hands tightened on Tony’s waist and held him so close their bodies were pressed tight. The heartbeat Tony had been hearing was evening out, matching to his. Their bodies recognizing the match just as the rest of them did. “I will tangle myself in you, and I will never let you go. I am not good. While the Invasion was not my choice, many of my actions in it were, as were many of my actions that led me there. I have done _terrible_ things and regretted them not. Knowing that, would you still tie yourself to me? Knowing that I will allow nothing, not even Death, to take you from me?”

There was possessiveness dripping from every single word. It probably shouldn’t have made Tony shiver the way he did, but he’d never claimed to be normal.

There was only one answer Tony could give. He was grinning broadly as he said, “You bet your ass, Princess,” and yanked Loki down into a kiss.

The magic in the room _exploded_.

Tony felt it as the tidal wave of Loki’s magic – _his seidr, that’s what he called it, this beautiful sea of seidr in so many shades of green_ – curled over every single inch of him and reached down to that spark deep inside of him. The two joined together, and it was like the peak of the strongest high Tony had ever felt. Not even that time he’d taken one too many drugs, some of which he hadn’t been sure what they were, and topped it all off with alcohol. That night had ended with Tony laughing and crying while the stars melted from the sky and Jim had turned into a Dali-esque image that had haunted Tony’s dreams for the next few weeks.

This was overwhelming sensation and emotion. Tony felt every inch of Loki’s magic, felt it _changing_ his own. He could feel as the bond grew to life between them. Everything Loki felt, it came pouring in, no gentle sensing of emotion like he was used to. This was a straight shot to what Loki was feeling and thinking as if the two of them were sharing the same brain.

There was fear, so much fear, and a feeling of unworthiness that Tony recognized far too easily. He’d felt it for most of his life. But over all of that was the kind of possessiveness that seared straight down to Tony’s bones, straight to his marrow. He was Loki’s, and Loki was his, and nothing was going to break them apart.

In that flood, Tony saw old hurts, old pains. He saw the life of a genius, yet always an outcast, always living in the shadow of another. Tony saw a court that mistrusted him, and a Father he was never sure loved him. He saw pain and grief, and a self-hatred so strong it gagged him. _Monster. I am the monster parents tell their children about at night?_ Tony held on tight as he saw the fractures that had been there for so long get shoved wide open, and he felt, they both fell, down into the dark and the endless space.

They were both falling, and Tony knew he had to brace them, had to stand them up, or he would risk losing his mage right from the start. This was what Tony was made for.

He planted his feet, physically and metaphorically, and grabbed hold of Loki’s magic. “Don’t go there, Loki. Come on, you’re not there anymore. You’re here, with me, and we’re in my house. Don’t let it suck you back down.” The more Tony spoke, the clearer his own vision became. He was able to see Loki’s eyes, see the way they crackled and sparked, a sign of his internal power and a reflection of the dome that had seemingly appeared around them. Tony logged all that away only in a vague sense. The rest of him was focused on his mage. “You told me just how possessive you are, well, you’re gonna find out I’m just as bad. You’re mine now, and like hell if I’m gonna let anyone take you away from me. Even your own head.”

The darkness faded a little more. Tony could tell when Loki got his feet back underneath him. Instead of Tony just gripping him tight, Loki clung to him, anchoring on Tony as he drew himself back in inch by agonizing inch.

When those eyes were once more clear, Tony let out a sigh of relief.

Loki’s seidr caressed Tony before slowly drawing back. Even then, it wasn’t like it was gone. Tony could still feel it warming him inside. The bond was complete. There was nothing that could separate them now. Tony dared them to try.

As the barrier around them was dropped, and the rest of the room came into view, Tony took one look at the faces around him and silently cursed. Thor, Steve, Clint, Natasha, and Bruce were all standing there staring at them, and the only person that looked in any way friendly was Thor. Even Bruce looked like he wasn’t sure if he should scold or Hulk out. Dammit, he really needed to learn to stop daring the universe. She always rose up to the challenge.

Grimacing, Tony sheepishly turned to face them, his best publicity smile on his lips. “Uh… I can explain?”

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to write more on this, so here you go :D

The happy buzz of their bond inside of Tony was like nothing he’d ever felt before. It was an amazing sense of power and completeness that he hadn’t thought was even possible. Lore said that a familiar felt complete once they found their witch – Tony hadn’t realized how empty he’d been until all that space was filled with _Loki_. He reveled in the sensation of being whole and the absolute joy of his bond being met and completed. At the same time, there was a twisting of nerves in his stomach that came from the serious faces still staring him down.

“Tony, step away from him,” Steve said slowly. His voice was hard and full of warning, and his eyes were like steel when he turned them to glare at Loki. It was the most anger Tony could honestly say he’d seen from Steve before. “Let go of him. Whatever you’ve done, we won’t let you have him.”

Seeing that much anger on Steve’s face – of all people! – and seeing it directed at _Loki_ , it pulled up a mix of reactions from Tony. Shock, and a tiny bit of delight, because since when did Steve like him enough to care about Loki taking him? They got along okay, sure, but Tony hadn’t ever expected that kind of protectiveness. Only Pepper and Jim felt that way. At the same time, though, Tony’s instincts were demanding that he protect his mage, and those instincts seemed to be stronger than everything else.

Without having to think about it, Tony took a step forward, meaning to put himself between Loki and his team. Or, he _tried_ to.

Loki’s grip on him tightened and prevented Tony from going anywhere. Instead, Loki was the one to step forward, very clearly putting himself between Tony and the others. Like he thought that _Tony_ was the one in danger here! He even kept his right arm out to block Tony from stepping forward. “I assure you, Avengers, I came here with no ill intent.”

“Doesn’t mean you don’t have any now,” Clint pointed out. He had his bow out and an arrow nocked and ready to go.

Loki didn’t flinch, and he didn’t try to deny Clint’s words. Instead, he amended them. “Do no harm to us, and I will do no harm to you. A momentary truce, if you will.”

Okay, that was enough of _that._ “How about no one hurts anyone, and you guys all calm the fuck down? I’m fine, okay. See?” Bracing on Loki’s arm, Tony stretched himself up so they could see his face, and he waved a hand in front of his eyes. “See? No blue!”

The possessiveness in their bond grew brighter. It was intermingled with an equally strong urge to _protect_ , and oh, wow, it was a bit ridiculous just how much that turned Tony’s insides to goo.

“My brother did not come here to do harm,” Thor said loudly while moving himself in the middle of the group. He was a big enough guy he made a pretty decent human shield. Tony couldn’t see Steve or Clint anymore. “We came to tell you of his trial, and of the truths we found at it.”

The sound Clint made was low and packed full of disbelief. He didn’t get a chance to voice whatever he was going to say next, though. Bruce beat him to it. “I’m more interested in what you just did to Tony right now. And I’d feel a lot better if you let him out.” On that last bit was just a hint of a growl that made it clear it wasn’t just _Bruce_ who was saying that. He was backing it with the Hulk.

Things had the potential to get really messy really quick if Tony didn’t do something. Luckily for them, he’d always been a dramatic bastard, and this was the perfect opportunity to take everyone’s focus off of Loki for a minute and maybe even shock them silent enough that Tony and Loki could finally give them answers without a looming death-threat. Hopefully. They were a pretty trigger-happy bunch.

Tony caught Natasha’s eye. He could see she knew what he was about to do, and the eye-roll she gave said she was resigned to it.

A slow grin stretched Tony’s lips. _Here goes. Watch out, Lokes!_ Using their bond, Tony sent him that mental message as his only warning. In the next instant Tony’s body was shrinking down into a familiar shift. When it stopped, he stood in one of his favorite forms. A fox.

The bond sang happily as Tony twined himself around Loki’s legs and rubbed his face along his bondmate’s right calf while his tail curled around the other. He felt the humor from Loki even as the man chuckled. “I should have known.” A hand came down and Tony had no shame whatsoever in pushing his head up until Loki’s fingers could scratch over his head and at that spot right behind his ears that turned him to mush. “Much as I adore this look on you, we need to work on your timing, mine dear. I don’t believe this is endearing your teammates to me at all.”

As if to back that up, Thor’s voice stole through the room, and it wasn’t anywhere near as peaceful as it had been. In fact, when Tony looked up, he could see that Thor had moved back and was standing almost beside Steve now, one hand on Mjolnir. “Loki, what have you done?”

“So quick to accuse, brother.” Loki clicked his tongue almost regretfully. “Who says I have done anything at all?”

Clint scoffed at him. “Yeah, right. You’re innocent as a newborn.” Tightening his hand on his bow, Clint retook aim, and his voice became lower and more threatening. “Whatever you did to him, fix it, or I swear I’ll find a way to kill you.”

“That might not be the wisest choice,” Loki warned him. He sounded entirely nonplussed by the whole thing.

“An why’s that?” Clint asked scathingly.

“You mean aside from the fact that killing me would kill him?”

This was getting out of hand. The emotions in the room were dipping back and forth between terrified and furious. The fear was what broke through Tony’s after-bond-high and had guilt starting to claw at his gut. His ears dropped down and he hunched a little against Loki’s calf. He hadn’t meant to scare everyone. This wasn’t… it wasn’t something Tony could just _stop_. Honestly, he felt like he was pretty lucky he had any sort of control at all right now. Part of Tony – a part that was steadily growing larger – wanted nothing more than to just curl up against Loki like this and drink in his bondmate’s seidr. Just… relish in his presence.

The situation was kept from escalating further by a rather surprising source. “If you would all please sit down, I’ve been instructed in the case of emergency to explain certain pieces of Sir’s story.”

Thank God for JARVIS! Tony looked up and gave a wide grin to a nearby camera. He really had the best kid in the world.

Getting everyone sitting down wasn’t as easy as it sounded. No one wanted to let anyone else out of their sight. Eventually, they ended up spread out on the furniture through the living room. Thor and Loki took a couch to themselves, and despite the way the others watched him like they wanted to stop him, Tony had no hesitance in hopping right up into Loki’s lap.

Loki adjusted automatically. One arm curled around Tony, making a nice place for Tony to rest his chin, and the other hand started up those amazing scratches between Tony’s ears again. It was _awesome_. Tony was going to be staying like this for a while. Why be human when he could lay here and get _scratches_?

When everyone was settled in JARVIS spoke again. His words weren’t something that Tony really paid any attention to. He knew what JARVIS was telling them. He was explaining Tony’s history – his heritage. And while Tony might like to pay attention to how his friends reacted to it, right now that wasn’t anywhere near as awesome or important as luxuriating in the bond that was happily humming inside of Tony.

Loki was a huge presence inside of him. He was everywhere, and instead of being smothering, it was _amazing_.

Though the _baked off my ass_ feeling had started to fade there was still a sensation kind of like being drunk. Not like, falling-down-drunk, but that happy little buzz right before too much where the world felt soft and safe. The raging ocean that Loki’s seidr had been before when it poured over him had now settled down into a calm sea that lapped against Tony’s fur like the best kind of petting. He let out a low purr and let his eyes drift shut.

That purr stopped when he felt Loki suddenly tense. Body and magic both went completely still. When Tony looked up, he found Loki staring intently down at him. _Lokes_?

“They did not know?” Loki asked in a voice that was slow and just barely restrained.

What was he… _oh_. Tony grimaced a little, his tail giving a small twitch. He chose to answer out loud, something he’d only ever done around Jarvis and JARVIS. Just to be safe. He had his mage now, though. He didn’t have to worry about that. “Um, no? Not really?”

His answer only had Loki’s expression going tighter. His seidr gave a twitch like the first hints of a storm building on the horizon. “These people live with you – they are your friends, your teammates. The ones who provide you care when you are ill or injured. Yet, you are telling me _they did not know_?”

“Natasha knew?” Tony offered. It wasn’t much, he knew. Still, that had to count for something, didn’t it? “I mean, SHIELD knows, too, so if push came to shove, they’d probably be pretty okay with helping me if I needed it, and I trust Nat to not let them take advantage of it enough to like, turn me into a test subject. Plus, Rhodey knows, and JARVIS has protocols in place if he doesn’t hear for me a certain amount of time. They’d let Rhodey know pretty quickly if he needed to intervene.” And Jim wouldn’t let anyone get in the way of getting to Tony. Not even SHIELD.

“ _You_ knew?” Steve blurted out.

When Tony turned to look, he found that Steve was staring openly at Natasha. However, she was looking at Tony. Shock shone briefly in the back of her eyes. She cleared it quickly and adopted her usual calm mask. “Yes, I did, and I kept him as safe as I was able.” Her eyes stayed on Tony as she said that; it was a silent acknowledgment of his words, his trust. Tony smiled and nodded his head back at her.

Warm seidr wrapped around Tony and ran over him in a way that reminded Tony of hands patting him down to check for injuries. When it was assured there was none, it calmed enough to start petting at him. His mage hadn’t quite calmed, though. Tony looked up to find that Loki was watching him with a bright, fierce look. “ _No more._ Those of this realm may be ignorant, but I am not, and I will not allow you to be treated as any less than you are due. You are a Companion – _my_ Companion. My _hjarta félagi_.”

If Tony had been human then, he might’ve blushed. As it was he ended up climbing up Loki’s chest until he could push at his shoulder. Loki leaned forward just enough to let Tony wrap around the back of his neck and come up on the other side, his face half hidden in hair. There, Tony was free to nuzzle at a spot right behind Loki’s ear that got a satisfying warmth through their bond in response. Tony let his own amusement show and nipped at the ends of Loki’s hair to give a light tug. A tug on the tip of his tail was Loki’s retaliation.

“So let me get this straight,” Steve said slowly, interrupting Tony’s moment. He sounded a bit hesitant, yet he didn’t let it stop him. “The Stark family is a line of… familiars. Companions to witches. And Tony’s a familiar who decided that he… wants Loki as his witch?”

JARVIS made a low, thoughtful sound. “In essence, Captain Rogers, yes. Though I believe Sir would protest the word _want_.”

“So he _doesn’t_ want this?” Bruce asked.

Ugh! They were getting the whole thing all mixed up. This wasn’t going to be fixed without Tony actually answering things. Go figure, it’s always the times that he doesn’t want to be in the spotlight that it’s needed the most. When he actually _wants_ to, no one ever listens to him then. Sighing, Tony pushed his head up enough that he wasn’t right in Loki’s ear while he spoke. “We don’t choose our bondmate, Steve. Each familiar is made for one witch – or mage,” Tony tacked on that last part, turning briefly to nuzzle against Loki’s cheek before lifting his head back up. “It’s our choice to initiate the bond or out. An once it’s done, it’s done. There’s no going back.” Seeing the look on his friend’s face, Tony gentled his tone and added on the most important part here. “I _chose_ this, Steve. He didn’t force me into it.”

“I could not, even if I wanted,” Loki said. He sounded offended by even the idea of it.

To Tony’s surprise, Thor was the next one to speak. “Companions are prized and valued. They are rare, for few have the strength necessary to require one, and even fewer still actually find one. To have a Companion born to your family is considered a high honor. They are to serve something greater than themselves.”

“They are more than servants.” The sharp words from Loki cut quickly across Thor’s. He cast his brother a warning look as if daring him to say more.

Thor held his hands up in a sign of peace. “I did not mean it so. I meant no offense to you, Man of Iron.”

“As fascinating as this all is,” Clint said, bringing everyone’s attention over to him. He was perched on the edge of his seat and looked as tense as his bowstring. There was anger and hurt both coming off of him. Not once had his eyes left Loki. “Can we get back to the part where you brought Loki here? Cause last I knew, he was supposed to be locked up in your dungeons.”

What came next was the kind of story to make Tony shiver. In a low, aching voice, Thor told them about Loki’s trial, and about how the Allfather had discovered the truth behind what happened to Loki. There weren’t many details, but there were enough to let them know that Loki had fallen through the Void – which just the mention of was enough to have Loki shivering, and to bring to mind for Tony the image of that portal closing on him, the empty space that had gripped him those last seconds before he’d fallen free – and how he’d landed in the hands of the Mad Titan. How, under torture that neither brother would speak detail of, Loki had basically broken.

The things that Tony had sensed about Loki that first time around made a whole lot more sense now. How broken he’d felt, how absolutely _insane_. Tony remembered how Loki had felt, and how different he was now, and his brain was already drawing conclusions. Thor said nothing about mind control, but Tony was betting that there had to be at least a little bit of it going on. No one could change that much, or that completely. Loki was a vastly different person than they’d met before.

As much as it pained Tony to hear these things, it relieved him in a way, too. He hadn’t just bonded himself to a murderous asshole, then. Oh, sure, Loki didn’t sound like the best of guys. He sounded like he had his own issues, and a bit of a temper to boot, plus a mischievous and sly side that promised lots of trouble in the future. Good thing Tony liked a little trouble.

The story Thor told had brought a tension to Loki that Tony very much didn’t like. Tony started to rub himself against Loki’s cheek again, down to his jawline and underneath it, making sure the whole time to radiate a sense of _mine_ and _protection_ as he did. He didn’t worry about accidentally pushing too hard or scratching the way he did when he climbed on Jim. The leather Loki wore made it easy for Tony to scramble around without harming him.

They ended up with Loki wearing Tony like some wiggling, purring stole. Tony was nuzzling under Loki’s ear again and he’d wrapped his tail completely around and under his mage’s chin. Any other time and Tony might’ve been a bit embarrassed by his behavior. At the moment, he was more than content with the feelings of happiness from Loki.

The only thing that was ruining their happy feeling was the constant thrum of voices around them. Tony hated it – he hated that there were people here infringing on what was supposed to be a very special and important time for him. He’d heard the stories, he knew a faint idea of what to expect from the initial bonding period. Just because he and Loki had bonded so well, so easily, didn’t mean they didn’t need the time to adjust to the bond or to each other.

Tony didn’t bother breaking away from where he’d gone to nuzzle at the underside of Loki’s chin again to say “JARVIS, activate Protocol: Hocus Pocus.”

That was all Tony needed to say to get JARVIS to understand. As soon as Tony heard the “Of course, Sir,” he stopped worrying about the others, or about anything that wasn’t _Loki_. Giving another purr, Tony licked Loki’s throat. “My room?”

Thankfully, Loki understood what he meant. Tony felt the world shift and change around him until it was all the familiar scents of his bedroom. Having Loki in here and knowing that JARVIS was watching over them helped Tony start to feel a little more settled. Enough so that he actually felt comfortable moving away from Loki’s neck a little.

The shameless god helped by laying backward. It brought to Tony’s attention the fact that Loki had dropped them straight on Tony’s bed. There were a plethora of jokes that Ton could’ve made. He could’ve easily teased Loki for jumping right to it. But neither one of them were thinking of anything like sex. Tony simply took advantage of Loki lying down to be able to crawl all over his chest and happily rub himself against every inch of him.

Loki wasn’t idle. His hands were on Tony’s fur, seeking out all those spots that made Tony purr or melt. “Look at you. My gorgeous, sweet one. You are _magnificent_.”

Honesty rang through each word. Unable to help himself, Tony lifted his head and grinned, making sure to show off as best as he could while he did.

His fox form was a bit smaller than a normal fox. All his forms were on the short side, as Jim liked to tease him. Though Tony had been different types of foxes before – he had a memorable time once playing as an artic fox on winter break once with Jarvis – he often took the form of a standard red fox. White underbelly, reddish brown fur over the rest of him, with white on the tip of his tail and black socks up his legs.

Loki laughed openly at Tony’s obvious preening. His laugh was a beautiful sound; low and just a bit raspy. “Yes, yes. You know how gorgeous you are, don’t you? And powerful, too. Far more powerful than any other Companion I’ve met.”

Just the thought of Loki even _meeting_ other Familiar’s had Tony’s ears dropping down. His lip instinctively curled up while a low growl rumbled his chest.

Instantly there were hands stroking over him again and soothing him back down. “Shh, shh,” Loki soothed him. “I have never felt the urge to bond with another. Nor will I ever again. I am yours, just as surely as you are mine.”

 _I told you, you’re not the only possessive one_ , Tony sent to him.

“I am yours.” The words were said without any shame or discomfort. Loki was smiling up at him openly, and it was such a beautiful sight. So far from the guy that Tony remembered meeting. It only served to back up the story Thor had told out there. This was Loki free of any sort of mind-control.

Thinking about what he’d just discovered Loki had gone through was enough to have Tony’s anxiety coming back just a bit. He wrapped himself up in their bond while also pushing himself forward and rubbing the top of his head against the underside of Loki’s chin. He had the urge to mark him everywhere; to make sure that he really was all right. To his immense gratitude, Loki seemed to sense that and had no issue indulging it. He gave a silent permission that Tony took complete advantage of.

The vanishing of Loki’s outer layers made the whole process easier though more delicate. With Loki in a simple pair of breeches and what Tony was pretty sure was a tunic it meant that Tony had to be a lot more careful with his claws. Or, at least, he thought he did.

Loki’s hand ran smoothly down Tony’s back as the little fox rubbed over his side. “Your claws will not hurt me, my sweet one. My skin is much more durable than that. I am not easy to injure.”

 _I don’t want to hurt you,_ Tony sent.

He felt Loki’s pleasure at those simple words. At just that small touch of caring that Tony showed him. “And so you shall not. Though I don’t doubt your prowess, I doubt you’d even be able to break the skin, or to leave more than a minor scratch if you did.”

It was on the tip of Tony’s tongue to deny that, or to assert his own strength. But he shoved it down and decided that he’d trust Loki’s assessment of his self. If he ended up getting hurt it’d be his own fault. He’d said this was okay.

That left Tony free to do exactly what he wanted to. He let his fox self rub and roll all over Loki’s body. Little bits of skin were licked, like the back of Loki’s hand, or the inside of his wrist, or down on his ankle. Tony even nipped at his fingers and relished in the husky laughter it earned him. By the time he finally came up to settle once more on Loki’s chest, he’d marked every inch of his mage, made sure he wasn’t injured, and their bond was happy and calm as the summer tide.

Loki looked just as content as Tony felt. He had one arm behind his head so that he could be propped up enough to watch Tony. The rest of him was loose limbed and relaxed in Tony’s big bed. With his free hand he was petting along the fur of Tony’s back. “I never believed I would find a Companion.” The words were slow, layered in things that Tony couldn’t read yet, didn’t know his mage well enough to read them. Yet there was an ease there that showed it wasn’t just Tony who was comfortable. “The few that I met were… intimidated by my power. I am what is considered a Wild Mage. One of chaos. I can destroy as easily as I create, for both those are necessary for chaos to exist.”

A low hum of pleasure vibrated along their bond. Tony hoped Loki felt it. _Everyone who knows me says I pretty much create chaos wherever I go. If the fates were looking for a companion to temper you, they’ve got another thing coming, sweetheart._

Loki’s chest vibrated with his low laugh. “You are for me, as I am for you. Not pieces to better one another. Simply halves to a whole. You are mine to protect, to love and cherish, as I am yours to do the same.”

Now Tony liked the sound of that. He liked it a lot. They weren’t one better than the other. Tony wasn’t Loki’s ‘better half’ just as Loki wasn’t Tony’s. They were just – them. _Halves to a whole_.

Nuzzling in, Tony smiled. _That sounds pretty perfect to me, gorgeous_.

Silence fell over the room, and the two men smiled at one another. For the first time in a very long time they both felt a sense of peace that they’d believed they would never have. Instead of being alone, they had one another now, bonded so deeply no one would be able to keep them apart. And woe betide anyone who dared try. They would fight tooth and nail to return to one another. Nothing was going to keep them apart. They’d found one another and they were never letting go.

**Author's Note:**

> There may be more later, idk. But here, have this thing I wrote today!


End file.
